Vertical Farming Method To Produce UK Strawberries ‘Nine Months A Year’

By Ben Mitchell

July 4, 2021

Strawberries grown in Britain could be on supermarket shelves nine months of the year using a new vertical-growing technique that is also better for the environment.

The system, which is being pioneered by a fruit-grower in Arundel, West Sussex, England, uses 50% less water and has a 90% lower carbon footprint but has yields five times higher than normal production methods.

Staff at Wickes Farm in Ford, West Sussex, UK, harvest strawberries at the state-of-the-art farm (Ben Stevens/Parsons Media/PA)

Direct Produce Supplies (DPS) is stacking up 1,000 tonnes of strawberries and will be supplying Tesco using the method, which should guarantee supplies whatever the weather during the British summer.

The strawberries are produced in vertically stacked beds under fully controlled conditions, with plants watered using a hydroponic feed instead of in the soil, which DPS says helps improve the nutrition value of the fruit.

Chief executive Paul Beynon said: “Vertical farming offers growers a protected environment that requires significantly less land, water and energy to produce excellent quality crops.

“We chose our farm location near Chichester on the south coast because this region gives the highest natural levels of light and heat in the UK and so maximises the potential.

“We are still at a relatively early stage in vertical growing and in the future we believe that we can make even further advances in sustainable strawberry production and that other fruit crops could take to the system in a similar way.”

Tesco fruit technical manager Sabina Wyant said: “Vertical crop production is a giant step for fresh produce growers in helping reduce their carbon footprint and use less water, at the same time boosting their yields.

“For shoppers there is also a clear benefit, with consistent quality fruit and availability for up to nine months of the year, regardless of the weather conditions.

“By example, right now during Wimbledon fortnight, the UK sees the highest demand of the year for strawberries but sometimes adverse weather conditions can challenge production at this time, leaving retailers with a shortfall.

“Vertical farming will put an end to that uncertainty and ensure perfect growing conditions during an extended nine-month season.”

Lead Photo: The strawberries are produced in vertically stacked beds under fully controlled conditions, with plants watered using a hydroponic feed instead of in the soil.

How Much Are You Willing To Pay For The Perfect Strawberry?

One of Japan's most coveted strawberry varietals is now being grown in a high-tech farm in Newark. And you can get a taste for a cool $50.

BY LEENA KIM

JULY 2, 2021

MICHAEL STILLWELL

Of the reasons for which Newark is famous—namely its reputation as a former murder capital of America—there is a high likelihood that it will soon be known for something a little more savory: as the epicenter of the agricultural revolution, 2.0.

Over the past few years, New Jersey's gritty port city has become ground zero for a burgeoning vertical farm movement. First, what is a vertical farm? It's basically an indoor farm that uses aeroponics (or hydroponics) systems, artificial intelligence, robots, LED lights, and other forms of technology to grow produce in a controlled environment sans sun, soil, and pesticides. Newark is currently home to the world's largest vertical farm, the 70,000-square-foot AeroFarms, which has 8 others in this city alone (plus facilities in Virginia and Abu Dhabi) and is slated to IPO this month at a $1.2 billion valuation.

Nearly all of the vertical farms that have sprung up around the country specialize in leafy greens (kale, watercress, spinach, arugula, etc.). Why? It's the easiest crop to grow—and the cheapest ticket into the business. But Hiroki Koga, co-founder and CEO of Oishii, a 4-year-old vertical farm near Newark, had far grander ambitions. He didn't want to open yet another outfit for lettuce and spinach that, to be honest, can't taste so radically different from lettuce and spinach shipped in from California. He was going to go straight for Goliath on the first try: the strawberry.

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Most vertical farms specialize in leafy greens because they are the easiest to grow. Not Oishii, which went straight for the holy grail in vertical farming: strawberries. OISHII

"They are one of the most sophisticated crops with an extremely complicated plant physiology, and one of hardest to grow in a vertical farm," says Koga, whose former life in Tokyo as a consultant to large corporations making headway in this agricultural category provided an early education in the business. (Not surprisingly, Japan has been way ahead of the curve on this trend, mastering the tech long before the term even entered the modern lexicon—today, many vertical farms use machines made by Japanese corporations like Sony and Panasonic.) "So while other companies started with something easy, we decided to invest all of the money we raised into something that was harder and might take longer to succeed, but that once we cracked the code to it, it would let us unlock other crops, like tomatoes, melons, and grapes, much more easily."

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Hiroki Koga, co-founder and CEO of Oishii.

OISHII

Another key reason that deters vertical farms from graduating beyond leafy produce: the bees. Or rather, the lack of them. Greens don't need pollination but fruits do. The problem is, though, bees are sensitive. Put them in an artificial environment and they'll soon realize it's a setup and stop functioning properly. Koga has cracked this, too. "We were the first in the world to figure out how to trick the bees into believing they are in Mother Nature," he says.

Mind you, Koga certainly hasn't gone through this much trouble for just any kind of strawberries. His are a replica of Japan's Omakase berries, a unique, highly prized, and rare varietal grown in greenhouses in the foothills of the Japanese Alps only during wintertime (from January to March). They are characterized by an intensely fragrant, almost floral, bouquet, and a flavor profile that is juicy and creamy, soft and buttery, and, above all, super sweet. In other words, like nothing that is found in America. Oishii's Omakase berries tick all of these boxes, plus one more: they are perfect every time. Because even Japan's most meticulous strawberry growers can't control sun and temperature. "In our vertical farm, we can control for temperature, humidity, even levels of carbon dioxide, to optimize for this specific variety to thrive every single day," Koga says.

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The strawberries grown in Oishii’s vertical farm in New Jersey. ZI JIAN/OISHII

So, about that price tag. Oishii's Omakase berries—at first only supplied to Michelin-starred restaurants, they are now available for delivery in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Jersey City, and at select purveyors like Eli's on the Upper East Side and Carissa's in East Hampton—are $50 for a box of 11 medium-sized strawberries (or 8 large). While these are exponentially more expensive than your average Driscoll's, even traditionally grown Omakases command a similar cost back in Japan, where they are considered treasured gifts for special occasions and celebrations.

But they are hardly Japan's most expensive strawberry. That distinction is held by the Bijin-hime varietal, grown exclusively by a veteran farmer named Nichio Okuda, who spent 15 years perfecting the berry and produces only 500 a year. A single Bijin-hime strawberry retails for 50,000 yen, or $448. (It ought to be noted that the Japanese are unrivaled in the realm of status produce: in 2019, for example, two Hokkaido melons sold at auction for $5 million yen, aka $45,000.)

Of course there are far more reasonably-priced Japanese varietals as well—the country has 250 different strawberry cultivars, which account for more than half of the global supply—and Koga plans to introduce them to the U.S. market, and eventually, the rest of the world. Thanks to a recent $50 million infusion of investor capital, Oishii has begun its expansion, first with the construction of a second vertical farm the size of a football field. "We're not just a small strawberry farm in New York selling fancy strawberries. We're offering a new way to grow, experience, and access food," he says. "We hope to bring a really big paradigm shift to the agriculture industry. Vertical farming is the way forward."

LEENA KIM Associate EditorLeena Kim is an associate editor at Town & Country, where she writes about travel, weddings, arts, and culture.

Research Signify And Fragaria Innova Into Growing Strawberries With LED Bears Fruits

June 15, 2021

·     Provides better steering of the plants

·     Optimizes winter growth

·     Helps growers realize a stabile production pattern with high yield and good quality strawberries

Eindhoven, the Netherlands – Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting, has worked together with Fragaria Innova to develop specific light recipes for strawberries, resulting in a steady production pattern with high yield, and good quality strawberries in wintertime. The joint research over the past year helps to further optimize the winter production of the so-called ‘June bearers’, a strawberry cultivar known for relatively short peaks in production.

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Within Fragaria Innova, progressive strawberry growers commit themselves, together with external partners, to innovation surrounding the themes of growing under light and plant health. For growing under light, Fragaria Innova and market leader Signify conduct a multi-year program with participating growers/propagators. At one of the production companies, a special compartment has also been equipped with separate climate control, this enables the testing of several growth- and light strategies for multiple cultivars under full LED. One of the main goals of the research is realizing a (more) stable production pattern during wintertime.

Current winter productions usually take place with June bearers with a short production period of 8 to 10 weeks, after which a new planting in another section takes over production to create a stable, flat production. Unlit cultivation dominates before- and after the winter production.

“Extra growth light is needed to realize sufficient yield and quality in winter”, according to plant specialist Peer Hermans, who conducts the research on behalf of Signify. “The trials have shown that you can influence the plant build-up somewhat with specific light recipes, for which LED is ideally suited.” By accurately tuning the light intensity and spectrum offered to the developmental stage of the plant, you can optimize the leaf surface and stretching of the flower trusses and leaf stalks. A better plant build-up can benefit the production. The idea is to raise the production quality through light optimization.  

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Grower Marcel Dings from Brookberries, co-initiator behind Fragaria Innova, noticed some influence on the plant build-up, but the extra assimilates that came with it, went mostly to the crop and less to the fruits. Dings: “Next season will focus on how we can further optimize the division of the assimilates in the plant, and how we can get the assimilates to the fruits”. The grower notices that there are a lot of variables at play, such as: cultivars, planting times, cultivation goals, light spectra, light intensity, and the balance between natural daylight and artificial lighting. “The benefit of this new generation of LED grow lights is that we can play with lighting efficiently and that we can finetune the recipe to our own wishes and possibilities. Within this project, together we can achieve faster and more progress. I am satisfied with the results of this first year, but there is definitely room for further optimization. Hopefully, we can keep this going in the coming years.”

Grower Dave Linssen, a participant within Fragaria Innova (cultivar: Malling Centenary), had a trial with different spectra at one company location, planted in August just like his unlit crop. “The lit plants went into production earlier in winter, as expected. When it came to kilos and plant build-up, we hardly noticed any difference between the light spectra”, he concludes. “We may need to tinker a little to get the ideal light recipe for our company. It seems obvious to me that growing under LED is a desired addition.”

 Based on these encouraging results, the trial set-up for the coming season will be determined. Spectrum research and testing different cultivars will be part of this research. For more information on growing strawberries with LED grow lights, please go to www.philips.com/horti.

--- END ---

For further information, please contact:

Global Marcom Manager Horticulture at Signify

Daniela Damoiseaux

Tel: +31 6 31 65 29 69

E-mail: daniela.damoiseaux@signify.com

www.philips.com/horti

About Signify

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT) is the world leader in lighting for professionals and consumers and lighting for the Internet of Things. Our Philips products, Interact connected lighting systems and data-enabled services, deliver business value and transform life in homes, buildings and public spaces. With 2020 sales of EUR 6.5 billion, we have approximately 37,000 employees and are present in over 70 countries. We unlock the extraordinary potential of light for brighter lives and a better world. We achieved carbon neutrality in 2020, have been in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index since our IPO for four consecutive years and were named Industry Leader in 2017, 2018 and 2019. News from Signify is located at the Newsroom, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram. Information for investors can be found on the Investor Relations page.

 About Innoveins | Fragaria Innova

Innoveins is an ecosystem where organizations cooperate at the cross-over between plants and technology to develop innovations through co-creation and bring them to the market.

Within Innoveins, Fragaria Innova unites ambitious strawberry growers to jointly tackle challenges in the areas of labor, upscaling, efficiency, plant health and resilience, biodiversity, growth media, product quality, continuity, delivery reliability and smart farming.

Certhon Wraps Up 7th Raspberry Trial Successfully

“Raspberry isn’t the first crop that comes to mind when figuring out which crops to grow indoors,” Andrea Huegler, R&D Engineer and Agronomist at Certhon said. “However, we accepted the challenge and decided to go for it as there are a lot of benefits to growing it in a controlled environment.”

After successfully growing strawberries in the Certhon Innovation Centre (CIC), the company has decided to take on another trial of growing fruits indoors. Certhon has been doing lots of research on indoor farming for a long time now. This has allowed them to investigate how to grow more complex crops in a controlled environment without daylight.

Andrea Huegler 

Trial results
The main advantage of growing this crop indoors is having higher yields and consistent quality year-round. Certhon sees great opportunities ahead for the crop, due to its premium status and short shelf life. “It makes it a perfect candidate to be grown indoors.” During this trial, common raspberry cultivars were chosen. Certhon used chilled raspberry canes from a propagator, pollination by bumblebees and top and interlighting was used to flourish the crops. The harvesting period comprises 10 weeks, out of a total cultivation cycle of 21 weeks and is expected to end in July 2021.

Cultivation risks
The research was mainly about investigating the right transition of the vegetative state of the crop to the generative state. Andrea says that balancing the climate and light with energy consumption is the trickiest part here. “Ever since the first raspberry trial we’ve been trying to balance out the reduction of energy use, having an X amount of yield at a great quality and extending the harvesting period. Throughout the trials, we have obtained nearly twice as much yield compared to the traditional Dutch polytunnel producers in the summer,” Andrea notes.

However, raspberry cultivation isn’t without challenges. “One of the risks that could come up is growing grey mold,” explains Andrea. “If nectar isn’t removed well from the flower, the fruit can grow mold or have a grey undertone. However, if you manage your humidity wisely, the incidence is severely reduced. That’s the idea behind the CIC, optimizing growing recipes and eventually expanding the product portfolio because we want to provide a wide selection of product options to our clients.”

Greenhouse application 
The knowledge that is generated in the CIC can also be applied to the cultivation of raspberries in greenhouses. Growing these crops indoors allows Certhon to generate ideal growing conditions and maximum potential for raspberry cultivation. With this knowledge, Certhon generates a blueprint that growers can follow in greenhouse cultivation as well.

Andrea explains, “For instance, the blueprint can be followed when growers want to know when to: provide extra lighting, shading, or adjust the humidity. In this way, ideal growing conditions can be mimicked to achieve the highest quality and yield possible in a greenhouse.”

Cane risk
Another, very important aspect is the quality of the raspberry canes. In order to have good production, your raspberry canes need to be of good quality and pest-free. “This cannot always be guaranteed, '' says Andrea, “since they are propagated outdoors and therefore bound to the pressures of external influences, such as climate. Although we have not tried it ourselves yet, we think the next step is to also propagate raspberry canes in a controlled environment without daylight.” 

For more information:
Andrea Huegler, R&D Engineer and Agronomist 
Certhon
andrea.huegler@certhon.com 
ABC Westland 555
P.O. Box 90
2685 ZH Poeldijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 174 22 50 80
www.certhon.com 

Publication date: Mon 7 Jun 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© HortiDaily.com

These High-Tech Strawberries Cost $6 Apiece. Here’s What They Taste And Smell Like

By Hannah Selinger

June 11, 2021

Some months ago, a curious new strawberry began appearing in my social media feeds. The berry, which comes in packages of three, six, or eight, was a uniform pale red. Each berry in each plastic carton looked almost exactly the same — heart-shaped, symmetrical, and indented on the surface where, in a store-bought strawberry, yellow seeds would appear. One more notable thing: They cost between $5 and $6.25 apiece.

The Omakase Berry, a Japanese variety grown by the New Jersey-based company called Oishii, bills itself as an entirely different strawberry experience. The website even offers advice when it comes to eating them: Allow berries to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes; let the berries’ aromatics “fill the room”; inhale the “bouquet”; eat.

Oishii grows its berries indoors vertically, leveraging technology that its co-founder and CEO, Hiroki Koga, 34, explored in Japan. “I got my first start in the vertical farming industry as a consultant in Japan, where it took off before anywhere else in the world,” he said. “But the whole industry failed pretty quickly, you know, in the early 2010s in Japan, because it was too expensive to grow leafy greens in a very tech-savvy, costly environment.” The technology, he said, was there; someone just needed to find the right way to use it.

The first run of berries (the Omakase cultivar) has been geared toward the luxury market and is available only in the New York City area. But the company is in the process, Koga said, of expanding its market share. Some of the varieties the company is experimenting with can be grown in a much more cost-efficient way, he said, “which means that we should be able to place these into the market at a significantly affordable, reasonable price, compared to what it is today.”

Koga came to the United States in 2015, first to California, where, he said, the quality of produce was unexpectedly good, though not as good as in Japan. The strawberries he selected for the company’s first vertical farms in New Jersey are known as “short-day cultivars.” In Japan, “They’re grown during the winter in a greenhouse environment in a little more wet environment,” Koga said.

Long-day cultivars — American summer berries — are, he said, “optimized for mass production,” at the expense of flavor. Koga says Oishii’s low yields are guided by the same principles as fine wine production: An intentionally depleted crop, achieved by such tactics as crop-thinning, forces the plant to push more of its nutrients and flavor into fewer berries, yielding a more concentrated flavor. The growing environment, according to Koga, is also optimized so that berries yield the maximum amount of nutrients and sweetness.

“We constantly were testing and tweaking to find the perfect environment for the unique Omakase berry,” Koga said. That meant, he said, finding the optimal temperature and breeze; controlling plant management, water frequency, and pruning; and leveraging artificial intelligence to help predict yields.

I wanted to know how the Omakase Berry — billed by Koga as a berry with no American equal — would stand up to other domestic fruit. I arranged my own taste comparison, using three different strawberries: Oishii’s Omakase Berry, available only in the New York City area; widely available Driscoll’s strawberries, produced by a network of more than 900 independent growers around the world, in such places as North America, Europe, China and Australia; and first-of-the-season strawberries from Balsam Farms, in Amagansett, N.Y., down the road from where I live. (Full disclosure: My yearly CSA box comes from Balsam.)

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Driscoll's organic strawberries. (Jennifer Beeson Gregory/The Washington Post)

The appearance

Perhaps most striking about the Omakase Berry is its utter uniformity. Each orangy berry — I purchased a package of eight for $50 — looks exactly the same. Glance quickly and you might mistake the berries for marzipan candies, their exterior is so flawless.

The Driscoll’s berries ($3.99 for the company’s standard 16-ounce plastic clamshell) were far deeper in pigment — the company aims for “deep red,” said Scott Komar, 58, the company’s senior vice president for global research and development — and were larger, overall, than the Omakase, though there was variability in size. They were covered in tiny yellow seeds. In selecting berry plants, Komar said, Driscoll’s considers “the color of the strawberry, the shape, the size, and the mouth texture.”

My local strawberries (a quart for $9) were smaller, deeply pigmented and visually much less consistent. The traditional heart shape that is associated with the fruit became more triangular here on Long Island, where conditions are unpredictable. Balsam Farms, said Ian Calder-Piedmonte, 41, the farm’s co-owner, uses a technique called plasticulture. A barrier between plants and the ground is formed using plastic, aiding farmers with weed control, assisting with water management and keeping berries cleaner.

Plasticulture, Calder-Piedmonte said, combined with pruning runners, keeps the plants compact and the berry placement concentrated. Without the plastic, he said, berries can “try to set down roots between rows, and actually will take away from the growth of the mother plants.” Still, holding in my hand the tiny first berries of the Long Island season, it was hard not to consider how much work had gone into producing just a pint of fruit.

Strawberries for sale at the Kuhn Orchards booth at the Fairlington Farmers Market in Arlington, Va. (Jennifer Beeson Gregory/The Washington Post)

The aroma

Oishii isn’t lying when it says the aroma of its berries will fill the room. When I unearthed my plastic container from its refrigerator pack, I could already smell them. Opening the box, I was assaulted with the most strawberry-smelling fruit I’d ever encountered. Aroma, Koga said, is one of the classic characteristics of the Omakase Berry.

In this category, there was no competition. My Driscoll’s berries did not have much of a scent, but aroma may not be at the top of the list in breeding priority. “We conduct quantitative measurements on the sugars, acids, and aromatics of our berries,” said Komar of Driscoll’s berries. “Then that information helps us pick the berry varieties we will commercialize for our brand.” Driscoll’s places a high premium on flavor and color, and the variety I tried may not have been bred, specifically, for aroma.

My Long Island berries smelled very much like strawberries, although their scent was not nearly as potent as the Omakases. “I think there’s probably more variation on local strawberries, as there are with probably everything that’s locally produced,” Calder-Piedmonte said. Other berries that come from “incredibly controlled” environments “where it’s sunny every day” are more likely to be consistent in size, shape, flavor, and even aroma. On Long Island, he said, “I think there are a lot more variables.”

The taste

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Oishii’s Omakase Berries cost $50 for a package of eight. (Oishii)

Do you prefer a tart berry that’s firm to the tooth? Are you enamored by sweetness? What type of berry the average consumer perceives as “best” depends on such personal preference. The Omakase Berry was, without question, the sweetest that I sampled. (However, Driscoll’s grows a trademarked, premium fresh berry segment called the Sweetest Batch for strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries, which Komar said are “unique selections” from the company’s breeding program; I did not try these.)

The Driscoll’s berries were the firmest of the three, with a consistent mouthfeel and flavor. It seemed to me that the objective in their breeding was a distinct balance between sweet and tart — and that balance certainly came through on each bite. In some ways, the acid, a quality in food and drink that compels you to keep consuming, makes sense: You’re unlikely to eat only a single strawberry, but Driscoll’s berries come in large, satisfying packages. It’s okay to keep eating.

As for my local berries, there was something compelling about the unpredictability. They were not the sweetest berries I’d ever tasted, but they varied between sweet and tart. Pop a strawberry in your mouth and come alive with the surprise of how sweet it is. Get a slightly underripe berry and pucker in delight. That contrast might make you wish that berries at the farm stand were sold by more than just the quart.

And, as Ian Calder-Piedmonte pointed out, the distinct advantage of a local strawberry is that you’re eating it the day it’s picked. “They really are harvested that day or the day before,” he said. Many berries are picked and then held in refrigerators (or refrigerated trucks) for days before they reach the consumer, and flavor can diminish each day. A fresh-picked berry tastes far different from a berry that has been off the plant for a few days or, as happens in some cases, a week.

Then came the Omakase Berry. The berry, Koga said, was “specifically selected out of 250 cultivars that exist in Japan,” optimizing for “very strong aroma and high sweetness level.” “Because most of the conventional strawberries here in the U.S. have a very high acidity and very low sweetness level, we just wanted to differentiate our product,” he added. This berry, with its heightened sweetness, is the type of berry that sits heavy on the tongue. Eat one, consider it, let the sugar coat the palate. That’s more than enough. The point isn’t to keep eating. The point, in fact, is to stop. So I did.

Selinger is a writer based in East Hampton, N.Y.

Lead photo: The Omakase Berry, a Japanese varietal grown indoors by Oishii in New Jersey. (Oishii)

RSVP - Indoor Ag Science Cafe June 1st

June Indoor Ag Science Cafe

June 1st Tuesday 11:00 AM Eastern

Please sign up, thank you!

"All Season Oishii Berry:

America's first vertical strawberry farm"

by Hiroki Koga
Oishii

Please register to receive your Zoom link.

The recording will not be available for this cafe.

Indoor Ag Science Cafe is an open discussion forum, planned and organized by OptimIA

project team supported by USDA SCRI grants.

Register here

CANADA: ‘Made In Quebec’ Strawberries Offer Hope For Food Autonomy

10-05-2021 | Msn News

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

CANADA- The pandemic, with its broken supply lines and closed borders, has been a worrying reminder of Quebec’s dependence on imported food. Roughly 75% of its fresh fruits and vegetables, in fact, come from elsewhere.

Inside a windowless metal cube in a building on the outskirts of the province’s largest city, Montreal, Yves Daoust is trying to make a dent in those numbers.

The cube houses some 3,800 strawberry plants arranged in vertical gardens, pollinated by bumble bees, and brushed by morning dew. The carefully controlled environment is tracked by sensors and attempts to mimic ideal summer conditions year-round in a city where the average outdoor temperature in January is 13.6 degrees Fahrenheit (-10.2 degrees Celsius) and the winter cold doesn’t let up until May.

When Daoust’s company, Ferme d’hiver -- the name is French for “winter farm” -- started selling batches at C$5.99 ($4.80) a pack at nearby supermarkets in December, the pesticide-free berries were snatched by customers accustomed to Mexican or U.S. produce that often costs a bit less. Now it’s signing up farmers to install the technology and make Quebec winter strawberries viable, helped by C$1.5 million in financing from the government.

Quebec’s history -- it harbors a strong nationalist movement -- has long reinforced a preference for homegrown businesses, but after the pandemic disrupted labor migration and prompted some countries to restrict exports, local sourcing became an urgent matter for the government.

“The pandemic made Quebeckers a lot more sensitive to the importance of supporting local companies,” Agriculture Minister Andre Lamontagne said in an interview. “Every time we increase consumption of Quebec food products by a notch, it has considerable effects on the Quebec economy.”

The government earmarked C$157 million in November to boost food autonomy. In addition, its investment arm, Investissement Quebec, supports individual projects like Ferme d’hiver’s. Two recent projects it financed were greenhouse expansions that together received C$60 million.

The initiative aligns with themes dear to Premier Francois Legault, who was elected in 2018 on a nationalist platform. Quebec, a majority French-speaking province, is protective of its culture and businesses and considers any goods that come from outside Quebec, even from other Canadian provinces, to be “imported.”

Fruits and vegetables aren’t the only problem. Only about half of the all wholesale food purchased by grocers and hospitality companies is grown or transformed locally. To improve that ratio, Quebec is banking on greenhouse production, which it wants to double over five years with C$112 million in aid programs.

Another weapon is state-owned Hydro-Quebec’s cheap and abundant electricity, a key incentive for an industry that requires large amounts of artificial lighting during dark winter days.

© Bloomberg A Strawberry Harvest At Ferme D'Hiver Vertical Farm. The grow room at the Ferme d’hiver.
Photographer: Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

In Compton, a town two hours east of Montreal, organic vegetable farmer Frederic Jobin-Lawler is modernizing his 36,000 square feet of greenhouse space with a geothermal heating system, a dehumidifying unit and artificial lighting. After subsidies and other aid, he’ll pay only about 40% of the upgrade costs.

Success or failure of the food autonomy effort will depend on whether small farms like Jobin-Lawler’s can overcome grocers’ general preference for large suppliers or whether they can get institutions like hospitals to buy their produce, he said.

“If we produce more in winter, will our local markets be able to take it in?” he said. “We don’t want to do this to export, we want to do this to sell locally.”

In theory, the province produces enough to supply two-thirds of its fresh and transformed greens, but consumption and production don’t match up perfectly. Quebec grows enough cabbage to cover twice over what it eats, so it exports some. But it meets only 17% of its population’s demand for spinach and 44% for strawberries.

Climate and seasonality have a lot to do with it. As a country, Canada imports the most vegetables and fruits between March and June, followed by the December to February months.

Daoust, the founder of Ferme d’hiver, said he offers a tastier substitute. “It’s not that imported products aren’t good originally, but they are treated to be transported for days,” said Daoust, an engineer by training who grew up on a farm but spent most of his career in the tech industry.

Imported Workers

Not everyone in Quebec is persuaded by the government’s push. Patrick Mundler, a professor at Laval University in Quebec City, says a rush to produce more fruits and vegetables risks increasing demand for other imports, chiefly farm labor.

“The massive production model is totally dependent on labor,” said Mundler, who published a paper on food autonomy last year. “Workers come from Mexico, Guatemala -- I have a hard time accepting we use our electricity to produce cucumbers in heated tunnels rather than buy them from Mexico or Guatemala directly, where they grew in the sun.”

If small farmers manage to get their goods onto grocery shelves where a few giant producers dominate, a big question remains whether consumers will get into the habit of buying local.

“The consumer has the last word,” said Catherine Brodeur, a vice president of economic studies at Groupe Ageco, a consultancy in Quebec City. “The share of consumers who want to buy locally and are ready to pay more grows over time. But a lot of consumers buy the product that’s 5 cents cheaper.”

Photo © Bloomberg A Strawberry Harvest At Ferme D'Hiver Vertical Farm
Strawberries are harvested at the Ferme d’hiver.
Photographer: Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg

CANADA: Startup Bets 'Vertical Farms' Can Boost Quebec's Winter Berry Output

Brossard-Based Ferme d’Hiver Has Just Raised $5 million

In A So-Called "Seed Round" To Help Accelerate Its Expansion.

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Frédéric Tomesco

May 05, 2021

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Ferme d'Hiver president Alain Brisebois, right, and founder and COO Yves Daoust in the vertical farming grow room at their operation in Brossard. PHOTO BY JOHN MAHONEY /Montreal Gazette

A South Shore startup is going live with a technology it says will help Quebec growers produce tasty strawberries year-round and reduce the province’s wintertime reliance on imports.

Brossard-based Ferme d’Hiver said Wednesday it has begun building a “vertical farm” in Vaudreuil to produce pesticide-free berries starting in October. The three-year-old company has just raised $5 million in a so-called “seed round” from investors such as Investissement Québec to help accelerate its expansion, while the Quebec government chipped in with $1.7 million in loans and loan guarantees.

Standing about six metres tall, the indoor Vaudreuil facility will cover about 1,250 square metres and eventually produce 15 to 18 tons of strawberries a month, according to founder and chief operating officer Yves Daoust. That would double Quebec’s current winter berry output, he said.

Known as precision farming, Ferme d’Hiver’s technology optimizes climate conditions for indoor gardening, resulting in production and crop density per square metre that’s 15 times greater than that of a traditional greenhouse, the company says.

“This is a game-changer for the growers,” chief executive Alain Brisebois said in an interview Wednesday. “Instead of only producing seven months a year, they can now produce year-round. Our goal in Vaudreuil is to prove to the industry that our technology is not only viable, but profitable and that it can work on a large scale.”

While most growers typically use propane to produce fruits and vegetables, Ferme d’Hiver’s technology relies on electricity. As a result, the company says its solution is 30 percent more energy efficient than a typical greenhouse, which cuts capital costs by 40 percent.

When it strikes a deal with a grower, Ferme d’Hiver commits to buying 100 percent of the production and acting as a wholesaler. It has a long-term contract with IGA in Quebec to deliver at least 25 tons of strawberries every week, Daoust said.

Ferme d’Hiver has signed partnership agreements with about a dozen Quebec growers thus far, and talks are underway with additional producers to buy their output, according to Brisebois.

Within three years, the company is aiming to replace 10 percent of Quebec’s strawberry imports with the production of its grower partners.

Premier François Legault has singled out food production as one of the areas in which he wants Quebec to become self-sufficient to better insulate the province from disruptions in the global supply chain — such as the current pandemic. His government unveiled plans to invest $157 million to increase the province’s “food autonomy” in November.

“The government was very clear when they started financing us two years ago: the goal here is not to become the Amazon.com of strawberry production, but rather to create an industrial cluster around agri-foods,” Daoust said. “We want to help create a nexus of Quebec growers with specific skills in the production of winter fruits and vegetables.”

Although it’s currently unprofitable, Ferme d’Hiver plans to break even when it hits 5,000 square metres of total production capacity, the CEO said.

“Given all the discussions we’re having with producers, we’re very confident of getting to 5,000 square metres next year. Then we can start covering our expenses,” said Brisebois, a former Metro Inc. and Alimentation Couche-Tard executive. “As a startup, I would say we’ve just finished childhood. Now we’re entering adolescence.”

ftomesco@postmedia.com

Finland: College Grows Strawberries Indoors

At the Kainuu Vocational College in Finland, strawberries are cultivated under LED lights in the school's warehouse. Kari Komulainen, CEO of Peuraniemen Taimitarha gives a farm tour. Ever since 1996, Peuraniemen Nursery is producing certified strawberry seedlings. In 2002 the company expanded into cranberry seedling production. 

Now the company is collaborating with the College to grow strawberry seedlings on multiple levels in a controlled environment. "Strawberries have extremely sensitive roots. That means that in these conditions we have to be able to find the optimal balance between watering and humidity so the plants can transpire. As strawberries like lots of light, we noticed that they are lush under LED lights," Kari notes. 

The Kainuu college makes use of Netled's technology for the growing facility. Their technology takes care of the HVAC and lighting solutions. "Nature and external conditions do not affect our vertical farm in any way, Kari adds. 

Click on the video below to see the complete story. 

For more information:
Netled
netled.fi

Publication date: Fri 9 Apr 2021
Author: Rebekka Boekhout
© VerticalFarmDaily.com

Polygreens Podcast Episode 21 - Dan Ovadya

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Dan Ovadya stumbled into his career passion growing super sweet Chandler strawberries in low-tech greenhouses on the Israel-Jordan border in 1991. That dusty summer was the start of his journey into agriculture and has since accumulated 30 years of experience with control environment crop production, research, and development.

Latest Episode

Oishii Sees Itself As ‘The Tesla of Vertical Farming.’ Here’s How It’s Cracking CEA Strawberries

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March 31, 2021

Lauren Manning

Indoor farming is best known for leafy greens and micro-herbs. But New York’s Oishii is hoping to blaze a new trail and sweeten up the segment. 

“A lot of people call strawberries the holy grail of vertical farming,” Oishii founder Hiroki Koga tells AFN. “Strawberries are the hardest crop to grow in a vertical system and it’s been every vertical farmer’s dream to grow them. Conquering strawberries allows us to grow into other crops very quickly.”

The startup announced a $50 million funding round this month led by Mirai Creation Fund, part of Tokyo-based SPARX Group. Additional investors included Sony Innovation Fund — the corporate venture arm of Japanese tech giant Sony — Tokyo-based AI company PKSHA Technology, and San Francisco-based VC Social Starts.

“We’ve had multiple offers from different funds but we ultimately decided to go with SPARX because they have a very strategically aligned mandate. They’re backed by Toyota, one of the largest manufacturing companies in the world [and] vertical farming is the intersection of agriculture and manufacturing,” Koga says.

Although it may seem odd for Toyota to be interested in agrifood tech, the carmaker is working on its Woven City project located at the base of Japan’s Mount Fuji. It’s a so-called “living laboratory” where researchers live and work full-time to imagine what future cities may look like through technological innovation. 

Koga is no stranger to controlled environment ag (CEA). Six years ago, he was working as a CEA consultant in Japan, helping large corporations enter the space. While Koga views Japan as the birthplace of vertical farming, he moved to the US in 2015 – around the time that the method was becoming popular in the country.

Alongside the allure of being the first to crack indoor strawberry cultivation, Koga sees the fruit as a way to address what he calls the “unit economics problem” in indoor farming. He sees strawberries as providing a very strong revenue and profit model, as well as a crop that can further “democratize” vertical farming. 

“In order to democratize it, I wanted to start with something that’s truly impactful — not products that people will buy because they are sustainable — [but] something that is superior compared to what is on the market, and that would completely change people’s experience,” Koga says.

He leveraged his personal network in Japan to collaborate with farmers and research institutions on the details of indoor strawberry cultivation – from seeding all the way to harvesting. It took “countless” iterations to get the formula right, he says.

“There’s probably 20 or 30 different things that you can tweak in a given cycle of the plant. So, let’s say there are five or six different stages of the plant life cycle – if you multiply all of those, there are millions of different combinations,” he explains.

“It’s a matter of tweaking those on a daily basis to figure out what the perfect mix is.”

However, this know-how isn’t what Koga considers to be Oishii’s “secret sauce.” Rather, that’s the bees that the startup’s using handle pollination.

While Koga won’t spill the ‘bees’ about how all this works in Oishii’s context, he claims to have found a way to replicate a natural environment within an indoor vertical farm that convinces the critters they’re outside. 

“They live in harmony with our farmers and robots,” is all Koga will add.

The Tesla of vertical farming

With the initial R&D under its belt, Oishii is now turning its focus to consistency and quality of the product. Its current New Jersey facility spans a few tennis courts, Koga says; but its next one will be the size of an American football field. It currently sells direct-to-consumer through its website, and through traditional retail channels like supermarkets.

But its strawberries may be out of some consumers’ grocery budgets, retailing between $15 and $50 per pack depending on the size and the number of fruits. This price point puts Oishii’s berries in the luxury food category – for now, at least.

“If you think about how Tesla started with a Roadster or Nissan started with the LEAF, we like to think we are in the Roadster camp,” Koga says.

“Our current Omakase berry is our Roadster right now, but we already have developed multiple strawberry cultivars that we can produce much more cost-efficiently. Our Model S and Model 3 will be on the market soon,” he says, referring to the latter-day models now being sold by Elon Musk’s company.

Another US vertical farming startup, Plenty, is also trying to solve the strawberry equation. It recently added Driscoll’s to its list of backers and is collaborating with the major berry producer on indoor strawberry cultivation.

Koga welcomes competition in the space, particularly if it means branching beyond leafy greens.

“It’s generally a good thing that people are following in our footsteps and expanding out of the leafy green space. The more berries the better,” he says.

“Ten years ago, we only had Tesla, maybe a few other companies. But Tesla was the one who proved that it can be done, and now there are dozens and dozens of electric car manufacturers. [The electric car] become much more widely available.”

Vertical Farming Startup Oishii Raises $50m In Series A Funding

By Sian Yates

03/11/2021

Oishii, a vertical farming startup based in New Jersey, has raised $50 million during a Series A funding round led by Sparx Group’s Mirai Creation Fund II.

The funds will enable Oishii to open vertical strawberry farms in new markets, expand its flagship farm outside of Manhattan, and accelerate its investment in R&D.

“Our mission is to change the way we grow food. We set out to deliver exceptionally delicious and sustainable produce,” said Oishii CEO Hiroki Koga. “We started with the strawberry – a fruit that routinely tops the dirty dozen of most pesticide-riddled crops – as it has long been considered the ‘holy grail’ of vertical farming.”

“We aim to be the largest strawberry producer in the world, and this capital allows us to bring the best-tasting, healthiest berry to everyone. From there, we’ll quickly expand into new fruits and produce,” he added.

Oishii is already known for its innovative farming techniques that have enabled the company to “perfect the strawberry,” while its proprietary and first-of-its-kind pollination method is conducted naturally with bees.

The company’s vertical farms feature zero pesticides and produce ripe fruit all year round, using less water and land than traditional agricultural methods.

“Oishii is the farm of the future,” said Sparx Group president and Group CEO Shuhei Abe. “The cultivation and pollination techniques the company has developed set them well apart from the industry, positioning Oishii to quickly revolutionise agriculture as we know it.”

The company has raised a total of $55 million since its founding in 2016.

AeroFarms And Hortifrut Announce R&D Partnership To Advance The Next Generation of Blueberry And Cranberry Production In Vertical Farms

Multi-Year Partnership Will Optimize Plants

For indoor Growing And Commercialize

Blueberries And Cranberries Are

Grown In Vertical Farms Globally

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March 30, 2021

NEWARK, N.J. & SANTIAGO, Chile--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AeroFarms, a certified B Corporation and leader in vertical farming, and Hortifrut S.A., a certified B Corporation in Chile and a global business platform leader in berries marketing, distribution, and production, today announced a multi-year partnership to jointly research and develop blueberry and cranberry production in fully-controlled indoor environments and vertical farms.

“We are very excited to have reached this agreement with such a successful and thriving vertical farming company like AeroFarms”

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Together, this R&D partnership will identify and optimize blueberry and cranberry plants for indoor growing, allowing both companies to further expand their knowledge in sustainable farming. The goal of the partnership is to advance the production of the next generation of commercial blueberries and cranberries in vertical farms.

The first phase of the partnership is already underway with blueberry plants arriving this spring at AeroFarms global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey U.S.A. where they have over 100,000 square feet of vertical farming space for R&D and commercial production. Hortifrut, through its state-of-the-art genetic program, has bred compact blueberry plants ideal for vertical farming and AeroFarms has optimized its grow systems for berry production. Both companies envision a long-term partnership working together to formulate the commercialization of blueberries and cranberries grown in vertical farms globally. The teams are focused on delivering the most flavorful, nutritious, fresh blueberries to consumers at any time, anywhere in the world. The agreement considers the experimental site setup, planting of Hortifrut varieties, feasibility, data analysis, and potential further expansion.

“We are thrilled to announce our blueberry partnership with Hortifrut,” said David Rosenberg, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AeroFarms. “As we started sharing our mission and values with Hortifrut, we found deep alignment between our corporate goals and agricultural technologies. Hortifrut’s legacy of plant breeding and global blueberry production is unsurpassed in the industry, and we are excited to work together with the industry leader in delivering berries to the world every day. We look forward to bringing our mastery of controlled environment growing to commercial blueberry production. New Jersey has a rich history in blueberries dating back to 1910 when blueberries were domesticated for the very first time. Now AeroFarms and Hortifrut will be pioneering the next chapter for blueberries by domesticating them again in New Jersey – this time in a fully controlled environment.”

“We are very excited to have reached this agreement with such a successful and thriving vertical farming company like AeroFarms,” commented Juan Ignacio Allende, Hortifrut’s CEO. “Now we will put the efforts and know-how of both teams to work side by side, allowing us to succeed in growing blueberries and cranberries under this new technology. Responsible farming, high-quality fruit, and a commitment to customer service are in our DNA. We believe this is only the

beginning of a successful partnership focused on growing, supplying, and marketing the best berries, every day all over the world.”

About AeroFarms

Since 2004, AeroFarms has been leading the way for indoor vertical farming and championing transformational innovation for agriculture. On a mission to grow the best plants possible for the betterment of humanity, AeroFarms is a Certified B Corporation Company with global headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company two years in a row and one of TIME’s Best Inventions, AeroFarms patented, award-winning indoor vertical farming technology provides the perfect conditions for healthy plants to thrive, taking agriculture to a new level of precision, food safety, and productivity while using up to 95% less water and no pesticides versus traditional field farming. AeroFarms enables local production to safely grow all year round for its commercial retail brand Dream Greens that has peak flavor always®. In addition, through its proprietary growing technology platform, AeroFarms has developed multi-year strategic partnerships ranging from government to major Fortune 500 companies to help uniquely solve agriculture supply chain needs. For additional information, visit: https://aerofarms.com/.

On March 26, 2021, AeroFarms announced a definitive business combination agreement with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: SV). Upon the closing of the business combination, which is expected in the second quarter of 2021, AeroFarms will become publicly traded on Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol "ARFM". AeroFarms is expected to receive approximately $357 million in gross transaction proceeds, enabling the company to fully fund the equity needs of its growth strategy, including expanding retail distribution and market penetration, constructing additional farms, introducing future generations of proprietary farming technology, and entering new product categories. AeroFarms has a platform approach to farming, utilizing its expertise in mechanical design, environmental design, operations, and digitization and genetics to both understand what a plant wants as well as how to influence environmental stresses to optimize plant growth. This data science-driven platform approach enables the company to better understand plants, optimize quality and reduce costs. Using its expertise in leafy greens, AeroFarms has a tremendous amount of data on plant biology to leverage coupled with years of experience with berries, having grown over 50 different types of berries to date. We have developed ways to grow berries with a higher sweetness than industry averages, and we now will be focused on blueberries and cranberries as well. Additional information about the transaction can be viewed here: https://aerofarms.com/investors/

About Hortifrut S.A.

Hortifrut is a global business platform and Certified B Corporation in Chile, that connects dedicated berry producers in the two hemispheres with the most important customers and markets around the world. It stands out for its unique business model based on innovation, varieties breeding, sustainability and digitization. Currently, the company has operations in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Hortifrut is known for having a leading genetic program for berries, sales platforms attending top tier customers around the world, over 4,500 hectares of top-notch berry farms, in order to deliver all berries to more than 35 countries every day. For additional information, visit: https://hortifrut.com/en/

No Offer or Solicitation

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction in connection with a proposed potential business combination among Spring Valley and AeroFarms or any related transactions, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction where, or to any person to whom, such offer, solicitation or sale may be unlawful. Any offering of securities or solicitation of votes regarding the proposed transaction will be made only by means of a proxy statement/prospectus that complies with applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or pursuant to an exemption from the Securities Act or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this presentation, regarding Spring Valley’s proposed acquisition of AeroFarms, Spring Valley’s ability to consummate the transaction, the benefits of the transaction and the combined company’s future financial performance, as well as the combined company’s strategy, future operations, estimated financial position, estimated revenues and losses, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the respective management of AeroFarms and Spring Valley and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AeroFarms and Spring Valley. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; the inability of the parties to successfully or timely consummate the proposed transaction, including the risk that any regulatory approvals are not obtained, are delayed or are subject to unanticipated conditions that could adversely affect the combined company or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction or that the approval of the stockholders of Spring Valley or AeroFarms is not obtained; failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction; risks relating to the uncertainty of the projected financial information with respect to AeroFarms; risks related to the expansion of AeroFarms’ business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of

competition on AeroFarms’ business; the ability of Spring Valley or AeroFarms to issue equity or equity-linked securities or obtain debt financing in connection with the proposed transaction or in the future, and thehose factors discussed in Spring Valley’s final prospectus dated November 25, 2020 under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents Spring Valley has filed, or will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that neither Spring Valley nor AeroFarms presently know, or that Spring Valley nor AeroFarms currently believe are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. Spring Valley and AeroFarms anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ assessments to change. However, while Spring Valley and AeroFarms may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Spring Valley and AeroFarms specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Spring Valley’s and AeroFarms’ assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

Contacts

AeroFarms Contacts
Investor Relations:
Jeff Sonnek
ICR
Jeff.Sonnek@icrinc.com
1-646-277-1263

Media Relations:
Marc Oshima
AeroFarms
MarcOshima@AeroFarms.com
1-917-673-4602

Hortifrut Contacts
Investor Relations:
Gabriela Rojas
grojas@hortifrut.com
56-2-2-4792618

Why The 'Tesla Of Strawberries' Cost $5 Each

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BY HANNA CLAESON

MARCH 17, 2021

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Why does the "Tesla of strawberries" cost $5 each? "This is an oh my god berry," one Omakase berry enthusiast gushed in Oishii's promotional Instagram video. To give you a more precise idea: Oishii's strawberries, berries that the company's CEO, Hiroki Koga, calls the "Tesla of strawberries" or the "happiest strawberries that you can find on this planet," are sold in three-packs (via Food Navigator and Instagram). Oishii suggests you pair your first "with a sip of perfectly brewed Japanese Oolong Tea," you're second with "a bite of creamy, bloomy rind cheese" and your third "with a glass of natural wine."

The whole experience will cost you at least four McDonald's Happy Meals; be prepared to dish out between $15.00 and $18.75 for these strawberries (they retail, says Grub Street, at between $5.00 and $6.25 a pop, depending on size) in addition to your tea, cheese, and alcohol investment.

If you do buy an Omakase berry, you shouldn't wait to eat it. Oishii, Time reports, guarantees that upon purchase, their strawberries will have been harvested and delivered on the same day to ensure that each berry is perfectly, exquisitely ripe. The company's farmers are trained, intensively, to identify the optimum "shade of red" (via Instagram). "When you bite into it, the aroma just spreads into your mouth," Koga told NPR. "Our customers say when they leave a tray of our strawberry in their room, and they come back after two or three minutes, the entire room smells like strawberry."  

The science behind the "happiest strawberries on the planet"

When Oishii's CEO moved to the United States and tasted strawberries here, he was crestfallen. "It almost reminded me of cucumbers," he told NPR. So Koga traveled back to Japan and taste-tested nearly 50 varieties of strawberries before he settled on the one he'd grow in his vertical farm in New Jersey, a 15-minute drive from New York City. The variety Koga painstakingly selected contains twice as much sugar as any-old-American-supermarket strawberry. Besides that, Oishi promises "an airier texture and unexposed seeds."

To achieve perfection, Koga relied on Japanese experts to simulate the weather conditions of a "perfect day in Japan." And he doesn't simply control the temperature in his vertical farm, he also regulates "humidity and levels of CO2 and wind speed" (via NPR). Additionally, with the help of an AI machine, real, live bees pollinate the farm's strawberry flowers. Oishi claims that it's the first indoor vertical farm to achieve such natural pollination (via Instagram). The result, says Grub Street's Adam Platt, is a "diabolically uniform" berries, "you would call [them] monotonous, except they're really quite delicious."

For now, you'll only be able to try these strawberries with non-cucumber-like taste profiles if you have easy access to Manhattan. But a recent $50 million investment into Oishi may soon change that. Koga, according to Food Navigator, has already developed simpler-to-grow, cheaper, grocery-friendly strawberry varieties. He swears they have similar taste profiles to the original Omakase berry.

Webinar: Tuesday, 30 March 2021 Dr. Csaba Hornyik (Intelligent Growth Solutions), Peter-James Lennox (Kroptek), Katia Zacharaki (Digital Farming / Harper Adams University / UKUAT)

Discover The UK Strawberry

Vertical Farming Industry

Strawberries can be grown in TCEA. That is well established. Challenges exist, but the industry is thriving to tackle them. Are you wondering where the UK urban farming industry is in terms of the development of TCEA strawberry systems? Are you keen to ask questions about pesticide use in TCEA? Or where the plants are coming from? Or questions about the yields and the fruit quality (size, Brix)? UKUAT brings to you a panel discussion to answer all these questions.

REGISTER

This panel is the second online event, which succeeds the intro webinar with the title ‘What is the secret to growing strawberries in TCEA?’. Following some of your questions, we bring to you two fine organization members of UKUAT to share their experience working with strawberries in TCEA and answer more of your questions.

Dr. Csaba Hornyik from Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd. and Peter-James Lennox from Kroptek will be our panelists, and Katia Zacharaki will facilitate the discussion. The webinar will be interactive, engaging and will provide a collision space for like-minded interested growers, producers, scientists and enthusiasts for this field. And of course, there will be opportunities for a live Q & A at the end of the session. Katia Zacharaki will facilitate the discussion.

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Dr. Csaba Hornyik, Plant Scientist at Intelligent Growth Solutions Ltd.
Csaba is an experienced plant scientist having a background in plant development, molecular biology and pathology. His main role at IGS is to plan, carry out and analyze crop trials focusing on the development of environmental recipes for crops growing in a total controlled-environment. Csaba also develops the crop portfolio and manages customers trials at the vertical farm in Invergowrie, Dundee.
Strawberry is in the focus of several customers and the industry needs a reliable supply of propagules. The vertical farm is suitable to grow strawberry plants from seeds, grow them up and produce runners to further propagate the plants. All of the different stages of plant development need special settings which could be set in the vertical farm. We develop recipes for germination, early-stage growth and runner production. Root development is also under optimization to produce strong propagules during a short time. Flower and berry production is out of scope for IGS at the moment, but optimization is underway for flower development and berry production.

Peter-James Lennox, Project Manager at Kroptek
Peter is a project manager at Kroptek for the last two years, an LED grow lights and farming solutions company - with over 16 years of experience in the horticultural industry. Having previously worked as a Designer Manager in the technology sector made him realize the lack of equipment and knowledge in the TCEA horticultural industry. This, combined with the passion developed from growing up in a strawberry farm that only used soil, inspired me to find the best solutions for the horticultural sector.

Bio of webinar moderator:
Katia Zacharaki is working as Senior Research Engineer for Digital Farming involved in leafy salads, microgreens, and strawberry research. She is working on her Ph.D. with Harper Adams University and supports UKUAT as Communications Director.

Certhon's First Results of Indoor Strawberries Trial

Martin Veenstra, Indoor Farming specialist at Certhon: “This way of growing strawberries is unique because all grow parameters can be precisely controlled during the entire growth cycle. From start to finish. This ensures optimum quality, yield, and fruit sizes, independent of the growing season. All grown without any pesticides and with a choice of both traditional as well as organic nutrients.”

The Certhon Innovation Centre consists of multiple indoor farms equipped with state of the art systems for LED lighting, climate control, CO2 dosing and irrigation systems which are all managed by Certhon's farm control system. In these farms, many crop trials are conducted for the indoor growing of a wide variety of plants, ranging from leafy greens to many vegetables and soft fruit. We would like to share exciting results of our trials with growing strawberries in our indoor farming system. 

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Results
Yields vary off course per strawberry variety, but at least a minimum of 26 up to 30 kg per m² per year with a consistent BRIX of 8 or higher is now available to every grower. Also, fruit sizes are much more consistent compared to open field or even greenhouse growing.

"At Certhon, we focus on the consistent and uniform top quality of the produce with an improved shelf life. In addition to optimizing the yield, we also put a strong emphasis on minimizing the power consumption for lighting and climate control. Also reducing water consumption is a strong focus point."

Martin: “We are continuously improving our trials and see even more potential in the very near future. Besides strawberries, we are also testing with tomatoes, lettuce, and raspberries.” 

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For more information:
Certhon
ABC Westland 555
P.O. Box 90
2685 ZH Poeldijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 174 22 50 80
Fax: +31 174 22 50 81
www.certhon.com

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5 Jan 2021

VIDEO: How This Indoor Vertical Farm Makes Perfect Japanese Strawberries

Oishii Berry founder Hiroki Koga combines Japanese strawberry cultivation techniques with the technology of a first-of-its-kind indoor vertical strawberry farm in America to create the highest quality strawberry possible. The engineered berries go through a meticulous growth and monitoring process from seed to finished product. The result is a strawberry with a consistent and optimal size, flavor, and texture.

For more information:
www.oishiiberry.com
www.eater.com 

Publication date: Fri 23 Oct 2020

Jack Ma Also Checks Out Strawberry Cultivation

On the morning of October 10th and following his visit to the Dezhou high-tech tomato greenhouses, Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group, went to Licheng District, Jinan City, to inspect the development of the strawberry industry. The Licheng strawberry industry has been developing since the early 1990s and has now become one of the main production areas for strawberry cultivation in China. At present, there is over 1,000 hectares of greenhouse strawberry planting area in the whole district, the total output is 66,000 tons, the total output value is 1.25 billion RMB [187 million USD], and the derivative output value is nearly 2 billion RMB [300 million USD].

At Prandtl Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd., Licheng District, Jack Ma led a delegation to listen to the introduction of the development of the strawberry industry in Licheng District, viewed the display of strawberry related products, and learned more about the construction of seedling detoxification and rapid propagation laboratory and secondary seedling greenhouse operating situation. The company has carried out in-depth research, demonstration, and promotion of strawberry detoxification technology, soilless cultivation, and new variety cultivation. Jack Ma had in-depth exchanges and discussions with the technical staff of the company and learned in detail about the research and promotion of strawberry seedlings, especially the detoxification and rapid propagation technology.

At the Hongmei Farm in Dongjia Street, Jack Ma and his delegation inspected the construction and operation of the combined greenhouse and the winter greenhouse and asked in detail about the three-dimensional cultivation of strawberries and traditional planting. The farm’s strawberry production is supported by biological control, water, and fertilizer integration, and modern agricultural Internet of Things management systems, focusing on the application of prevention and control. Jack Ma said that the popularization and promotion of advanced planting technology will help ensure the high quality of strawberries.

At Strawberry Paradise in Dongjia Street, Jack Ma and his delegation visited the greenhouse, communicated with growers in-depth, and learned about the application of various strawberry cultivation models and market operations. Combined with the construction of a new countryside in Shiziyuan Village, it has formed an industrial system integrating strawberry planting, picking, catering, and tourism.

Jack Ma expressed his appreciation for Jinan's efforts to develop the strawberry industry and increase farmers’ incomes through cooperatives. He hopes that Alibaba Group and Jinan will further deepen exchanges and cooperation, and jointly explore new models and new paths to promote the development of Jinan's characteristic industries such as strawberry planting.

Source: k.sina.cn

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Publication date: Fri 23 Oct 2020

Plenty And Driscoll’s Partner To Grow Strawberries Indoors

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by Jennifer Marston

OCTOBER 12, 2020

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San Francisco Bay Area-based vertical farming startup Plenty and well-known berry brand Driscoll’s announced a partnership today to grow strawberries year-round via controlled-environment indoor farms. The partnership will use Plenty’s indoor farming technology and incorporate Driscoll’s proprietary genetics for strawberries, according to a press release sent to The Spoon. 

Plenty hinted at strawberries (and tomatoes) more than a year ago when it unveiled its high-tech vertical farm Tigris. Currently, the company is best known for its mixtures of leafy greens, which it grows indoors via the hydroponic method. Plenty’s facilities also utilize sensors, LED light mixtures, and temperature and air control to create the optimal growing environment for plants.

Leafy greens are still one of the most common crops grown in these controlled-environment farms and for a few good reasons. For one thing, they’re one of the most popular produce types among U.S. consumers today. They are also far more delicate than, say, a mango, making it harder to transport them without spoilage. Leafy greens also yield more crops in a smaller space compared to something like a row of sweetcorn, and they can be harvested faster. Something like a strawberry takes more time to grow, and one profile of Plenty last year noted that it can take up to nine months to understand how a strawberry plant performs inside a controlled environment operation.

Lately, though, more ag-tech companies have announced plans to grow more than arugula and herbs. Most notably, a Singapore-based company called SinGrow has employed its proprietary vertical farming tech to grow strawberries on a rack designed specifically for that fruit. SinGrow also creates its own strawberry breeds. Unfold, which just raised $30 million, has added cucumbers and tomatoes to its roster. Plenty itself said at the time of the Tigris launch that it wants to grow “exotic” fruits and vegetables, though as yet the company hasn’t named specific crops.

Strawberries aren’t exactly exotic, but for vertical farming, they are a logical next crop after leafy greens. Plenty’s home state of California produces over 91 percent of the country’s entire strawberry supply, and that fruit is also high on U.S. consumers’ lists.

To start, Driscoll’s will grow strawberries at Plenty’s Laramie, Wyoming facility. Driscoll’s Chairman and CEO J. Miles Reiter said in today’s press release that this partnership “will create a competitive market edge.” While that remains to be seen, one thing we can expect with a fair amount of certainty is that more companies will be growing strawberries via controlled environments in the months to come.

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by Jennifer Marston

• AG TECH BUSINESS OF FOOD DELIVERY & COMMERCE FEATURED FOODTECH

• MODERN FARMER SMART GARDEN

USA: VIRGINIA - Hull Street Indoor Urban Farm Launches Sales In September

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BY MARY SCOTT HARDAWAY

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Trevor Ferguson is now accepting orders from his Hull Street indoor hydroponic farm, Nouveau Farms. Scott Elmquist

While most farmers fight daily against the peccadilloes of ever-abrasive Mother Nature, Trevor Ferguson battles only market demands and water flow inside his hydroponic urban farm.

In 2016, Ferguson started his tech-driven farming business Nouveau Farms in the quiet of his basement. An engineer by day, Ferguson says he began researching how to grow his own food after he realized that imported, out-of-season produce was not what he wanted to feed his family. 

Once the left-brained Ferguson started learning about hydroponics, he was hooked. For those unfamiliar with the ’ponic world, this type of horticulture forgoes soil and instead uses mineral nutrient solutions, light, oxygen and filtered, freshwater to grow plants as much as 50% faster than those grown in the great outdoors.

“When you start eating those greens and those herbs, you can taste the difference,” Ferguson says. “It sort of changed my whole perspective.”

Ferguson started with an eight-tower wall garden, growing microgreens, salad greens, and herbs like mint, chive, and basil. “I’m originally from the Bahamas and we had fruit trees in the backyard,” Ferguson says. “I would go and get mangoes right off the tree, so that’s where that connection comes from.” 

While still working his 9 to 5 as a natural gas infrastructure development manager, Ferguson carved out time for hydroponic training courses, moving his small underground operation into his garage. He started the commercial rollout of Nouveau Farms in January. As of Tuesday, Sept. 1, you can order your microgreens and mint directly from Ferguson’s 800-square-foot Hull Street indoor farm. 

“I surely hope this turns into a full-time thing,” Ferguson says. “I am building this for the long run, making long-term investments. People who go into farming know it isn’t to get rich quick, I won’t become a millionaire.”

Ferguson says when the business launched at the beginning of 2020, the goal was to provide major suppliers with bulk orders. “That sort of bottomed out for us.” Like the rest of the world operating during the pandemic, he readjusted his business model. And, a bit serendipitously, Ferguson says he likes this initial direct-to-consumer approach better. 

“People have been so disconnected from their food for such a long time,” he says. “The pandemic has made people realize how important it is to have food security.” Ferguson wishes he were “further ahead” in his rollout plan, simply so he could meet the needs of the people in his community. “One of the things I’m hyper-focused on is that whatever we grow and supply, we need to be cost-competitive.” 

So while his salad greens will damn sure be more flavorful than the imported grocery store stuff that’s grown primarily for hardiness, Ferguson isn’t going to charge people an exorbitant price. “If you’re buying a bag of red romaine from me, it will be the same price as any place else,” he assures. 

The Hull Street farm is currently catering to individual consumers and pledges that all produce is harvested within 24 hours of delivery. Customers can place orders online (nouveaufarms.com) Sundays-Fridays, with free deliveries to those within 15 miles on Saturdays.

In addition to the Hull Street business, Ferguson also has his sights set on a truly halcyon, pastoral dream: a sprawling farmhouse located on 7 acres in Varina, situated amongst a vineyard, strawberry patches, and a space allotted to weekend farmers markets. 

Only seven minutes from Richmond’s city center, Nouveau Farms & Vineyard consists of three abutting lots, with the farmhouse to the far left, the middle lot devoted to grape-growing, and the far lot serving as an active farm open to the public. A huge undertaking, yes, but Ferguson is ready for the challenge. 

“The Varina farm is going to be strawberry heaven,” Ferguson laughs. He says that one impetus to grow his own food was to create the best berries for his daughter. “We would go to the grocery store and she loves strawberries and we would buy them on a weekly basis, but it was really hit or miss.” 

The Nouveau Farms berries will all be hits, with Ferguson using “a bit of hydroponics” plus traditional farming methods to grow his fruits de terre. “We won’t be in the soil – we will use a hybrid version of soil with a mix of peat moss, plus good drainage. And we’ll be feeding nutrients straight to the berries.” 

Ferguson says he will be experimenting with a couple of different berry varieties and will solicit help from the public to choose which berry is best — he’s hoping the farm will be able to institute weekend pick-your-own days for families, too. 

By 2022, Ferguson plans to have weekend farmers’ markets in addition to events and weddings – the backdrop is a bridal dream. “We’ll have smoothies made of our fresh fruit, people can enjoy a glass of wine and play cornhole,” Ferguson muses.

He can see it now: a weekend reset on the farm before heading back into the city for the daily grind. Now all he needs are some mango trees. 

Follow Nouveau Farms on Instagram for updates about produce, purchasing, and when the farm will be ready for strawberry picking.